Win at the Reward Card Game

Posted by Nikitas Tsoukalis on October 9, 2013

Win at the Reward Card Game

Going into debt for consumer goods is bad. But, that doesn’t mean that credit cards don’t have their place. If you choose cards with no fees and great rewards and pay your balance in full every month, you can actually get the credit card companies to pay you to use their stuff. To play the game and win:

Pick a card with no annual fees and the best bang for your buck with rewards. Some great examples include Discover, which has 5% cash back on different categories each quarter or the Chase Amazon card, which gives 2% on groceries and 3% on Amazon purchases at all times.

Learn each card’s rewards scenario. Some pay a straight percentage, some pay back more on some purchases than others. Keep a sticky note in your wallet if you are juggling multiple rewards.

Double and triple your cash back or points by combining offers. For instance, you can use your rewards card to buy a discounted gift card on a site like CardPool, then enter the site where you’d like to buy your stuff through Discover’s ShopDiscover or another rewards portal.

When it comes time to cash our your rewards, choose the most bang for your buck. Some cards offer higher payouts on gift cards, so your points or percentage goes farther.

Always remember to pay your bill in full. Three percent cash back is awesome, unless it costs you 20% in interest.